St. John's Day in Winter Festive Board

Photos from last night's excellent Festive Board at Specialis Procer Lodge. A good time was had by all.

Des Moines Scottish Rite KCCH Investiture

Tonight they held the Investiture for the Knight Commander Court of Honour at the Consistory.  It is a very special event and is only held every two years.  I was the Grand Treasurer and prompter for the evening. It was a very nice evening.

The Banquet was held in the Tapestry Longue named for the Tapestry which hangs there.

New KCCH members.

MASONIC DAY

 Iowa's two Conclaves of the Red Cross of Constantine held a joint (regional) meeting today in Des Moines.  For the first time in modern memory a full form of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre was exemplified by a degree team made up with participants from both Conclaves.

Our Grand High Priest was in charge of the exemplification and he did a wonderful job in organizing and directing the work.  The two Conclaves had not had a joint meeting since 1985.  It was good to share the time with members from both Conclaves. Following that members of the Iowa College joined us for the Fellowship, Banquet and Speaker.  

Thursday was Lodge Night

Iowa State had a Football game tonight. I usually stay away from the campus during these events. You can see the snap I took as I drove by they were gathering to go to the game. Lots of students and cars and fortunately they were going the other direction. What was I doing you say to be in that area at that time. Well you might ask.
It was Lodge night and I had gotten an e-mail from a Brother from Cherokee asking if I knew of anyone who would be going to Lodge who could give him a ride. He has entered ISU and wanted to come to Lodge. He knew my name because I was listed in his Grandfather's address book of Masonic Contacts. His grandfather was Charles Crocker, a Past Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons and a friend of mine from years ago. I of course, said I would pick him up so I went out, braving the mad hoards of students going to the game, to get him.

As I waited for him I could see the Lake where the swans live. Not good lighting to take a great picture because the sun was just over the lake.
We had a wonderful meal prepared by the Order of the Amaranth and a good meeting.
This is Blake and Paul, our Junior Steward. - I think (actually I am pretty sure) that he had a good time and I enjoyed meeting him and I was able to sluff off the part I was going to do next week on him so I can just sit and enjoy the degree.

Cassie is back as you know and except for the little darlings getting me up at 5:45 this morning things are moving along relatively smoothly. I have met a new Brother and life is good.

Pictures from Specialis Procer - Fellow Craft Degree

Thanks to Kevin Christians for the photos.

Festive Board at Specialis Procer

It is the custom of Specialis Procer Lodge #678 to hold a Festive Board every other month to eat together and listen to a paper of Masonic interest. We publish these papers on our blog Scire Facias.
Tonight we returned to Baratta's Restaurant and there were so many of us that we had to be moved to a larger room than we usually have.

The Brethren order off the menu and after a delicious meal we have our paper

Worshipful Master Kurt Hoffmann introduced the guests that were with us. We had a total of 22 members and guests at the meal
And then it was time to hear Brother Levent's presentation which was on Masonry in Turkey. It was interesting to hear how Masonry is practiced in his home country. He even showed us a couple of pictures of the Wedding Ceremony which was held in his Lodge for him and his wife. (who is very beautiful)

I have said it before and will say it again. This Lodge provides me with the richest Masonic experience I have ever had. I hope it will continue to grow and prosper. I could go on and on and talk about how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in Unity but perhaps you have heard that someplace before. Tomorrow is the Reception for our Junior Grand Steward of the Grand Lodge here in Ames so stop back for more pictures of that event. j

Recommended Reading

Chris Hodapp has a link to this article in the New York Times.

The Not-So-Secrets of the Temple.

It is about Pennsylvania's Grand Master Thomas Sturgeon and his proposed rule changes which are all over the Masonic Blogosphere. I found it interesting. Masonry moving into the modern era. Heresy for sure!

Albert Pike - Morality

"Albert Pike saw Masonry as a lifelong course in education. Jim Tresner

Reception of a Louveteau

A Louveteau (or Lewis) has a special relationship to Masons. He is the son of a Mason and in some places was allowed to petition the Lodge at an early age. Pike wrote a ritual for his reception into the Lodge which Tresner quotes. I recommend that you read it.

Pike is explaining the concept of morality to the young man who was probably about 12 years of age.

You are fond of enjoying yourselves. You like to play and you do not like to study. This is very natural. It is not wrong, but right. Why should you not like pleasure better than work? But when there is anything you ought to do, anything that your parents wish you to do, anything that you can do to help a friend or even an enemy, you know that you ought to do it, although it will interfere with your amusements, and cause you labor and trouble. It is reflection and reason that tell you this, and when these and your sense of what is right get the better of your fondness for amusement and inclination to be idle, you are satisfied with yourself, because you know you have done your duty.

That is what we are all out here to do -- our Duty. If we do it, we are good and brave. But if we let indolence and selfishness become our masters and keep us from doing our duty, then we are very weak and contemptible persons, and shall never do anything worth anybody's recollecting when we are dead.

Now this is what is meant when you are told that you ought to love others as you love yourselves, You do not think that you can do that. You do not feel that you can love a schoolfellow and much less one who has wronged you, as you do yourself. You think that it does not stand to reason that you should. You cannot help thinking so, and therefore it is not wrong to think so.

You know what is meant by loving your father, mother, sisters, and those who are always kind to you; and you know that you do not have the same feelings towards those who hate and wrong you. You know that you cannot. No one does or can.But you can forgive an enemy and be kind to him, as you can to all your companions. You can feel disposed to do them favors. You can get the better of any desire to harm them. That is what is meant by loving them.

But what perplexes you is that you are to love them as you love yourself. It is of no use, you think to try to do that. for you cannot do it. Let us see. You can forgive them instead of taking revenge, as you are prompted to do by passion. Is that not loving them better than you love revenge? You can give up some pleasure to benefit or gratify them. That is to love them better than you love pleasure. You can do a great many things for them because you ought, though it cost you trouble and labor, and deprives you of pleasures and indulgence; and when you do so you love them better than you love yourself.

This is what all good Masons try to do, and we hope you will try to do it. You will not always do it, because no one always does what he ought. Sometime we must punish those who do us injury that they may not be encouraged to continue doing so, and go from bad to worse, and that others seeing they escape to to do the same. But we must not punish because we hate them or for revenge, or for satisfaction

If you see a boy who is crippled or deformed, you to not hate him for it, and it is very wrong and cruel to make fun of him for it. It is a misfortune to be crippled and deformed It makes him unhappy and you ought to be kind to him. For you would think that it very hard if we should despise you for something you could not help. If you think it hard and cruel and wrong for us to do that, you must not yourself do it. This is the meaning of the saying "Do unto others that only, and all that, which you would have them do unto you."

Now a bad, cruel, malicious, revengeful disposition, and evil heart, a lying tongue, a depraved mind, are greater deformities than a crooked body or a hump on the back. They are much sorer misfortunes, and make those afflicted with them more miserable; and we out the more to pity them.

I think you understand all this. If you do, you understand what your duties to yourself and others are.

Albert Pike is much maligned by the religious anti-masons. When I read what he actually wrote and think of his great intellect I am in awe of him. This piece of writing is simple enough for me to understand and it helps to explain some concepts that I have struggled with in the past. I hope you find it of interest. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs. j

Photo's From St. Ignatius Conlave

To see these in a larger size click on the slide show to be taken to the Picasa Web Album and you can view a larger version there. (Note you will have to click on Full Screen and then start it yourself.)

There are two Conclaves in Iowa - St. Ignatius Conclave and St. Bartholomew Conclave. Their web sites have bee updated. Click on their name to visit them.

I had to share

I found this over on the Illustrious Order of the The Three Ruffians. Please listen.

Thanks to Howie Damron for supporting Freemasonry through song. If you would like to get ahold of Howie or just tell him that you like his stuff then email him...

Email: cdamron1@aol.com

Recommended Reading

Over at Masonic Minute there is a marvelous conversation that a Mason had with a Fundamentalist Christian. I wish I had thought to do that. But then they don't approach me.